CSE and HSBC announce partnership to give an impetus to environmental governance in India

Will set up a premier Environmental Training Institute near Delhi

New Delhi, October 17, 2012: Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has joined hands with The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) with the aim of improving environmental governance in India. The two organizations plan to do this by building capacity of environment regulators, non-government organizations and industry.

Towards this end, CSE will set up a state-of-the-art Environmental Training Institute with HSBC’s support. The partnership was formally announced here today by CSE director general, Sunita Narain and Country Head HSBC, India and Director HSBC Asia Pacific, Naina Lal Kidwai. Members of the Board of Directors of HSBC were present at the occasion.

At a panel discussion organized on the occasion – titled 'Strengthening environmental governance for sustainable development in India' – Narain said: “One of the pre-requisites of a strong and effective environmental governance system is training and capacity building. The institution that we are visualizing will fulfill a much needed requirement for a centre of learning which will bring the best in environmental education and training under one roof, and help drive change.”

The panel discussion was chaired by K Kasturirangan, member, Planning Commission. Among the other panelists were Tarun Das, former director-general of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Sunil Jain, assistant managing editor, Financial Express.

Naina Lal Kidwai, Country Head India and Director HSBC Asia Pacific, said, "HSBC is delighted to partner CSE for setting up the Environment Training Institute. The institute will play the critical role of imparting holistic knowledge and skill sets to managers and public administrators to help address the emerging environment and development challenges. This is a major step forward in strengthening the environmental governance in India."

Announcing the partnership between HSBC and CSE, Stuart P Milne, CEO India HSBC, said, "The setting up of the Environmental Training Institute (ETI) couldn't have been more timely given that the government and industry are gearing up to face one of the critical challenges of this century -- climate change. There is also increased realisation of the need for public private partnerships. HSBC has had a long history of addressing environmental concerns in all regions where we operate. The ETI we hope will serve as one of its kind platform in the country for regulators, policy makers, the development sector and communities to interact and exchange ideas on best practices."

Said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general of CSE: “In India, environmental law and regulations are increasingly being viewed as impediments to growth. We need to change this perception. What we need is ‘smart’ regulations and regulators who on one hand can safeguard the interests of people and the environment and on the other help industry meet environmental norms. ETI will go a long way in fulfilling this objective.”

CSE is planning to set up the Environmental Training Institute in Alwar, about 100 km from Delhi. The Institute will offer short and long-term courses on environmental governance for regulators and decision-makers. These will cover the multiple research disciplines such as air pollution, water and wastewater management, climate change, sustainable industrialisation and urbanisation, renewable energy, public transport and mobility and environment impact assessment.

The Institute will also be developed as an incubation, development and demonstration centre for green technologies.

• For clarifications and details, get in touch with Souparno Banerjee on 99108 64339 or write to him at souparno@cseindia.org

We are pleased to invite you to “Understanding environmental issues for better reportage: A media briefing for regional journalists” which is being organised with Mohan Lal Sukhadia University in Udaipur.

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is a New Delhi-based public interest research and advocacy organisation and is the recipient of the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize. It was recently ranked 17th among a global listing of top environmental think tanks in the Global Go To Think Tank Index, compiled each year by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program of the University of Pennsylvania in the US..